Hurricane Relief – National Teacher Appreciation Day & Week

Federation Friday: Volume 1, Issue 44 - May 3, 2019

GFWC-NC Hurricane Relief Fund

Hurricane Florence, a large and slow-moving hurricane, made landfall just south of Wrightsville Beach the morning of September 14, 2018. The storm lingered for several days producing record-breaking rainfall and in-land flooding throughout North Carolina. Over 35 inches of rain were measured in some locations, exceeding the highest single-storm rainfall records, and the storm surge overwhelmed much of the coastline eroding our beautiful beaches.

Florence will be remembered for its flooding, but the wind gusts up to 110 mph caused tremendous damage to buildings, roofs, trees, and wide-spread power outages throughout the Carolinas. Preliminary damage estimates were nearly 17 billion, with over 74,000 structures and homes damaged. There were 5,214 people rescued and 42 fatalities. Thus far, 140,000 North Carolinians have registered for disaster assistance.

In response, the GFWC-NC established a hurricane relief fund because we knew for many, it would take months or years to recover. We are grateful and overwhelmed by the support we have received thus far; $12,521.82. The needs are great and the list of those who require disaster relief is very long, so we have elected to give half of the Hurricane Relief Funds to Brunswick Family Assistance (BFA) to focus on Brunswick County, and half of the funds to Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry, Inc. (WARM) to focus on Pender and New Hanover County. The $6,290.91 donated to each organization will be prioritized for women, including women who are head of households.

We are so appreciative of the services BFA and WARM provide Southeastern North Carolina. We are honored to partner with them to help those recovering from this life changing event, and the GFWC-NC encourages all women and GFWC-NC Clubwomen who are eligible to reach out to our partners for assistance.

May 6-10is National Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week is celebrated during the first full week of May each year. Little things can mean a lot, so here are a few simple ideas, that take very little time, that teachers will appreciate: stock the staff restrooms with nice soap and hand lotion, put out mini scones, cookies and/or muffins in a basket, set up a coffee bar in the teacher’s lounge or provide a gourmet appetizer and finger sandwiches or salads for lunch.

May 7th is National Teacher Appreciation Day

National Teacher Appreciation Day is observed on the Tuesday of the first full week in May. In 2019, it will take place on May 7th. This day is part of Teacher Appreciation Week. The National Education Association describes National Teacher Day “as a day for honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting contributions they make to our lives.”

Teachers are our heros! They impact so many young lives, so remember to support them all year long!

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.”― Malala Yousafzai

Resources

The GFWC of North Carolina is a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs and its purpose is to unite member clubs into a statewide charitable organization of volunteers for the promotion of education, community service, fellowship, and leadership development.